National Senior Men’s team head coach Stephen Hart has announced a 21-man squad that will travel to Amman to face Jordan’s Senior Men’s Team in an international friendly on June 16th.
The T&T head coach has included further overseas-based pros to the team from the one that lost 1-0 to Curacao last Friday in Willemstad.
Coming in is US-based player Joevin Jones, Cordell Cato as well as Belgium-based defender Sheldon Bateau, Slovakia-based winger Lester Peltier, Kazakhstan-based defender Aubrey David and English-born defender Gavin Hoyte.
Hart said he would be continuing his assessment of the pool of Senior Team players before finalizing his squad for the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup. CONCACAF will release the 35-man preliminary rosters of all the countries participating at the Gold Cup on Wednesday. Hart will subsequently release his 22-man team later this month.
“We will continue to build towards the Gold Cup over the next few days,” Hart told TTFA Media on Tuesday.
“The game against Jordan allows me to evaluate players that have not seen national duty since the Caribbean Cup Finals last year. After this I will have a better idea of the 22-man squad for the Gold Cup,” Hart added.T&T opens its Gold Cup account against Guatemala in Chicago on July 9th and will also face Cuba and Mexico in the group stage.
Jordan meantime, is preparing for its 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign as well as the 2019 Asian Cup. They will play their first Group B qualifier against Kyrgyzstan on June 11 before playing Asian Cup champs Australia, Tajikistan, and Bangladesh.
Jordan made it to the intercontinental qualifying playoffs for the 2014 World Cup Finals where they faced Uruguay. They lost the opening leg 5-0 before holding the South Americans 0-0 in the second leg. Jordan drew 0-0 with Lebanon in a friendly on May 30th and were also defeated 2-0 by Japan in the Asian Cup in January. The majority of their players are based at home with a few players plying their trade in Colombia, China, Kuwait, Estonia and Saudi Arabia.
“Playing a team like Trinidad and Tobago which previously qualified to the World Cup will help our team in the upcoming phase,” Jordan’s head coach Ahmad Abdul Qader said adding, “regardless of the results, facing advanced teams is crucial and always beneficial”.
T&T 21-man squad for Jordan
Goalkeepers:
Jan-Michael Williams (Central FC), Marvin Phillip (Point Fortin Civic).
Defenders:
Mekeil Williams (W Connection), Kaydion Gabriel (Central FC), Sheldon Bateau (KV Mechelen, Belgium), Joevin Jones (Chicago Fire, USA), Gavin Hoyte (England, unattached), Daneil Cyrus (W Connection), Aubrey David (Shakhter Karagandy, Kazakhstan).
Midfielders:
Andre Boucaud (Dagenham & Redbridge—UK), Leston Paul (Central FC), Khaleem Hyland, Ataullah Guerra (Central FC), Sean De Silva (Central FC), Keron Cummings (North East Stars), Cordell Cato (San Jose Earthquakes, USA), Lester Peltier (Slovan Bratislava, Slovakia).
Forwards:
Shahdon Winchester (W Connection), Kenwyne Jones (Cardiff City—UK), Devorn Jorsling (Defence Force), Willis Plaza (Central FC).